


champion

by londer



Category: A Crown of Candy - Fandom, Dimension 20
Genre: Angst, Cheating, Cheating in the sense that you're in an arranged marriage iwth your dead wife's brother, F/F, War, amanda's not a real character yet but guess what!!! i don't care, baby!jet because I like to suffer, i'm literally so dumb and deleted the work the first time i posted it, writen post 10 pre 11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:07:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24827281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/londer/pseuds/londer
Summary: The Queen's Champion rises from the padded kneeler at the heart of the cathedral at Castle Candy. King Amethar and Queen Caramelinda stand before her, hands twined over the hilt of the sword she was just dubbed with. They don't touch except where their hands must, bodies straining to be separate. Amethar steps back and Queen Caramelinda holds the sword alone, turns the blade to rest on her open palm, presenting it to her champion.
Relationships: Caramelinda Rocks/Sir Amanda Maillard
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	champion

**Author's Note:**

> edit 8/26/2020: i cannot BELIEVE that ag beardsley has verified that this former crackship would have been canon if their secondary character had to come out!!! it's what we deserve!!!

The Queen's Champion rises from the padded kneeler at the heart of the cathedral at Castle Candy. King Amethar and Queen Caramelinda stand before her, hands twined over the hilt of the sword she was just dubbed with. They don't touch except where their hands must, bodies straining to be separate. Amethar steps back and Queen Caramelinda holds the sword alone, turns the blade to rest on her open palm, presenting it to her champion.

Sir Amanda Maillard takes it and their fingers brush, cold candysteel gauntlets against warm brown skin. She hefts the blade, flourishes it dramatically before sliding the blade into the scabbard at her belt. Queen Caramelinda meets her eyes and there's just barely a smile on her lips. She steps back into her husband's grasp, takes his arm as the cathedral explodes with the cheers of the watching nobility. The Chancellor says the final blessing of the ceremony. His robes are too large on him, and she can see how his leg thumps against the floor with nerves or impatience or both.

Queen's Champion is a small honor for all that Sir Maillard's done for the royal family and for Candia, but Lord Commander was promised to Sir Gumbar long ago so she must settle for second best. She will ride in tourneys in Queen Caramelinda's name, train a few good new knights, personally defend the Queen, but never hold lands nor title nor command of her own. A prison of a title, really. Ceremonial bullshit. An incredible honor. Sir Maillard smiles through the rest of the ceremony and the feast afterwards.

* * *

Sir Amanda finishes her watch atop the parapets and makes her way down the steps to the main keep. It was a long night with no trouble, and she's looking forward to a hot meal and her bed. A mostly-naked Jet Rocks tries to bolt past her, but Sir Amanda's quicker and scoops her up. The twins are in a phase common to most five year olds where they're liable to run screeching through the castle with no sense of decency or decorum.

Caramelinda is at her wit's end with them. Sir Amanda just thinks they're being silly, and tells Jet as much as she carries her back to her quarters. She hands off Jet to her nurse, tousles her hair gently, careful not to disrupt her braids too much.

"'Manda," Jet says sadly, clinging to her sleeve. Her eyes are wide and dark and her mother's. "Come play?"

"Later, kiddo," Amanda says, removes the tiny chubby fingers from her arm. Jet's so much bigger than she was a year ago and still somehow so tiny.

"Promise?"

"I promise," She links pinkies with Jet to be sure the girl knows she's serious. Jet squeals with delight and allows herself to be carried away by her nurse to put her clothes on. Sir Amanda waves to Ruby, sitting happily in the play area holding a tea party for her dolls.

Sir Amanda runs into Caramelinda in the halls outside of the girls' room. The queen is with the Chancellor, so she just inclines her head and makes to continue on to her own chambers.

"Wait," Caramelinda turns from her conversation with Lapin, nods to him as he goes into the girls' quarters for their afternoon lessons. No wonder Jet was in such a rush to get out. "Sir Maillard. Walk with me."

She's exhausted, but the Queen's Champion, so she goes. She walks half a pace behind Caramelinda, careful not to step on the trailing red velvet of her gown. "My queen."

"Sir Amanda," Caramelinda stops at one of the windows overlooking the yard. Below them, Theo and Amethar spar, a blur of limbs and candysteel. "How...how was your watch?"

It's a startling question. Caramelinda shouldn't concern herself with anything as trivial as the guard on Castle Candy. "It was fine, my queen. Nothing of interest happened."

Caramelinda nods, turns to look at Sir Amanda. Her eyes are dark brown pools in her lovely face. Sir Amanda tries, really tries, not to fixate on the mauve curve of her mouth or the twists of her hair. "How is your family? The Ladies Maillard?"

A startling subject. Caramelinda is full of surprises today. "They are well, as of their last letter. My sister is to take on Mother's duties soon as Lady of the duchy." It's far too personal to tell her queen about the rest of the letter, about how her Mama is redecorating for the occasion and Mother is simply at her wit's end trying to reign in her wife - they _just_ redecorated when Sir Amanda was named Queen's Champion a few years ago.

Caramelinda nods firmly. She's still looking at Sir Amanda, and Sir Amanda looks out of the window rather than face the queen's gentle-stern eyes. There is strength in sweetness, far too much for her to face. "You should invite them to court for the girls' next saint's day," Caramelinda says finally.

"Yes, my queen," Sir Amanda says distantly, still watching the king get his ass handed to him by Sir Theo.

"Would that not please you?" Caramelinda asks, and she's suddenly too close, looking into Sir Amanda's face with concern.

"It- it would," Sir Amanda says. She does miss her family, her Mama's big laugh and her sister's cool wit. "I miss them dearly and would be heartened to see them again. I will pass along the invitation."

"Good," Caramelinda says. She retreats from Sir Amanda's space, and Amanda feels that she can breathe again. "I'll be glad to see you happy." Sir Amanda just nods dumbly. "You may go, I'm sure you could use some rest." Sir Amanda walks away, careful to hide how she trips over her own feet. It won't do to be seen as too drained from a simple watch.

* * *

The candy lights in Cara's study are dim and cast a warm pink glow against their skin. Cara sits on the edge of her desk and Amanda stands between her knees, kissing her. Her mouth is soft and sweet, lips just barely chapped. Cara's tongue plays at Amanda's mouth and Amanda allows them to mix languidly, exploring anew what has been touched a hundred times before. Her hands are anchors on Cara's waist, thumbs digging in as she grips her soft sides tight, pulling her queen to her. Cara's hands are on Amanda's neck and jawline, fingers moving in gentle circles against her skin.

A thousand poets could not write sonnets enough to describe Cara or her perfect kisses.

The door is locked firm behind them, held fast by Cara's small magics. With no wandering teenage daughters or lost husbands or favor-seeking Tart Guard to walk in on them, Amanda pulls Cara tight to her, threads her hands carefully in her long hair. She pulls back from the kiss just to marvel at Cara's face, the sweet flush on her dark skin. Amanda presses kisses to her cupid's bow, the end of her nose, each cheek, the curve of her jaw just below her ear.

Cara just smiles at her, face so open and lovely. Amanda knows she will never hold the place in her heart that Lazuli held - holds - will always hold - but she's carefully nesting in a different part of Cara's chest, building a home of sweet words and soft touches. It's plenty for a queen's champion.

* * *

Sir Amanda Maillard is called to war by Lord Calroy. Her first command is thrust into her hands on a small fruit roll scroll - an entire battalion with her at the helm. Queen Caramelinda nods to her from Lord Calroy's side. She accepts her orders, makes preparations to leave for the Rock Candy Mountains the next morning.

Sir Amanda stands on the parapets, looks over Dulcington and the river Cola and the peppermint fields beyond. She wonders where Amethar and the princesses are, if they're even still alive at this point. If Lapin and Sir Theo made it out of Comida in one piece.

Amanda kisses Cara goodbye in the royal bedchambers in the grey dawn light through the windows. A goodbye kiss is not one kiss, but rather a long string of kisses peppered with tears and whispers of love and fealty. Amanda breaks it, knows if she doesn't leave now she never will. She leaves Castle Candy and doesn't look back for fear that she will see a small figure in pink on the parapets and go running back into Cara's arms.

* * *

Sir Amanda Maillard defends Castle Manylicks. For weeks they hold the outer walls of the keep, beat back a storm of soldiers from the northeast. Every day the enemy encampment grows, and every day she leads the forays against them. Queen's Champion is a title with meaning behind it now. Someday Jet's Queen will have a Champion who will remember Sir Maillard and strive to be half the warrior she was.

Sir Amanda sees the Dairy Island boat sail up the river - reinforcements at last! She orders a new volley of arrows on the Ceresians, seeing an opportunity to turn the tide. She foolishly hopes Caramelinda in onboard, she prays she is back in the safety of Castle Candy.

Amanda catches Cara's eye at the feast in their honor when the battle is done and the castle is safe. They adjourn to a small passage and hold each other and weep at the loss of Jet, her body newly interred in the hard sugar soil of the mountains. Amanda wipes both their tears and holds her love's shaking body close. Calorum will burn for this.

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on tumblr [here](https://elsie-writes.tumblr.com)


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